Waters on Wine: Taste tests at Quai?s help evade prejudice

It’s not often you approach the bar at a social gathering where the wine is being served out of numbered black bags. But that was the case at St. Thomas Uncorked, the annual wine tasting organized by the local chamber of commerce.

Winemaker Jamie Quai had selected a diverse range of enjoyable red and white wines for guests to sample over the course of the evening without knowing what they were drinking. Guests at St. Thomas Uncorked only knew if the bottle inside each bag contained red or white wine.

This was the fifth year that Quai, whose family planted vineyards in St. Thomas in 1970 and opened Quai du Vin Estate Winery in 1990, had selected a range of international and domestic wines to share. A graduate of the Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute at Brock University and former Grape Growers of Ontario Grape King, Quai introduced the blind tasting element a few years ago to make things more educational for attendees.

“We encourage them to taste the wines without prejudice,” Quai explained. “It prevents the case of having someone just say, ‘Oh, no, I don’t like chardonnay. . . .’”

Quai said blind tasting is a great way for consumers to taste and decide which style of wine they enjoy most. It’s an honest assessment of quality and preference.

The identities of the selected wines were revealed in groups throughout the event. As he introduced each selection, Quai shared intimate details about how the wine was made and fun facts about the associated winery and growing region.

Did you know that the crest for the police department in Lodi, Calif., sports a cluster of grapes?

The most talked about wine of the night proved to be a robust carmenère from Chile’s Viña Tarapacá, which sells at LCBO Vintages outlets for $17.95. Would the people who found a new favourite red wine have liked it as much if they had seen the label? Probably not, but now they know more the next time they shop for wine.

A far cry from the days when its bottles came in wicker baskets, inexpensive Chianti can represent some of the best value wines on the market. Vernaiolo Chianti is an easy to appreciate dry red that offers pleasantly juicy character. Nicely concentrated with a core of ripe fruit, this is a great pizza, pasta or burger red.

* * * 1/2

Rocca delle Macìe 2015

Chianti Classico

Tuscany, Italy

$18.95 (LCBO No. 741769)

A step up from the Vernaiolo label in richness and ripeness, Rocca delle Macìe’s Chianti Classico is consistently enjoyable year after year. Classico simply means that the grapes come from the historic heart of the Chianti region. The 2015 vintage is bright and juicy with vibrant fruit and an appealingly smooth texture.